Dream of Guanyin
by Tirya King
Summary: The Acolytes need help and the only one who can is an XMan. Will Rogue give in to her darkest fears in order to help her enemies? Will she become the thing she hates for the sake of a child?
1. To Recruit A Rogue

Title: Dream of Guanyin

Author: Tirya King

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Summary: The Acolytes need help and the only one who can is an enemy. Will Rogue give in to her darkest fears in order to help her kidnappers? Will she become what she hates for the sake of a child?

Guanyin (great spirit): one embodiment of reaching the great spirit is to cut yourself to give a piece to your patient. It is considered the most loyal thing one can do for another. Often one will have a dream in which the great spirit will instruct you on how to help another person.

A/N: This is a minor Romy which means that it will be there, but will not be the focus of the story. It will come and go. Read the A/N at the bottom of the page because it gives a Chinese 101 lesson you will need to know.

Dream of Guanyin

Part One: Zhaomu Yige Wulai

(To Recruit A Rogue)

"Are you sure this is such a good idea, mate? We're not exactly on her Christmas list y'know."

"I agree with John, Remy. You especially have not given her cause to come to our aid."

The Cajun sighed and ran his long fingers through his hair. "Look, do yeh want her help or non?"

Both of his teammates looked at each other silently, weighing their options. Coming to the X-Man was his idea and he was convinced she would help their cause. But he had to be mad to be so cocky about this. The Rogue was not easily convinced of anything, even by her own teammates.

"Well duh we want her help, mate," Pyro said, strangely serious for his usual manic self. "But she's one of the good guys. They don't help losers like us. Why are you so sure this will work?"

For his part, Remy wasn't sure why. There was just something about her; something that had him convinced she wouldn't abandon them. The look on her face when she came back to him in the bayou… it wasn't for obligation as a 'good guy' that she returned. She wanted to. She chose to help him and his father escape when she had every reason to leave. He would have left if he were in her place. He knew all too well the sting of betrayal.

"Jus… jus' trust ol' Remy, oui?" he asked of them. "De Rogue won' leave us hangin'."

"You'd better be right, Gambit," Piotr said. "We risk much coming to her."

"Hey, you trust dis Cajun an' he get yeh what yeh need," Remy replied with much more confidence in his tone. "Jus' let Remy do de talkin' an' we be out o' here in no time."

"That is what I was afraid you would say," Piotr said with much irony in his voice. But he let his comrade have his way. Remy had had much more experience than he in dealing with the feisty Southern girl, certainly more than Pyro as well. If there was anyone who could convince Rogue, it would be Remy LeBeau.

"Here she comes, gents," John said from his lookout point. They were hidden in a small alleyway near the school, waiting for her to walk past them. Remy noted with humor that it was the same alley he had stolen her from when he needed her services before. He hoped that her habits were the same; that she walked to and from school alone. It would not do for her to be surrounded by X-Men or to hitch a ride from anyone. She had to be alone.

As if the gods were listening to his silent prayer, Remy saw the Southern belle nearing the alley. No one was around her, all heading off to their various rides. Just as she neared the abandoned building the Acolytes were hiding in, a voice caught her attention, drawing her away from her route.

Gambit groaned in defeat, putting a hand over his demon-like eyes. It wasn't that he didn't like the petite Shadowcat, but this was rather important. Much more important than, say, who would be going with who to the Spring dance. Well, it looked like this couldn't be as secret as he wanted, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Straightening his jacket and putting on the most charming smile he could muster he turned to his two bewildered friends.

"Remy's goin' in, mes amis. Wish him luck!"

John and Piotr shared a look of dread that likened them to men before their execution. What had they gotten themselves into? Fortunately for them, Remy did not see this exchange for he was busy approaching the two X-Girls.

"…So then Amara told Bobby who told Rahne who told me that, like, Lance was totally going to ask me out to the dance next week," Kitty continued, behaving much like an excited puppy. It made Rogue smile despite herself. The bubbly girl was always good for a bit of entertainment even if it was at her own expense. Not that the goth would ever admit it of course…

"Bonjour, ma belle filles! Fancy runnin' int' yeh dis fine afternoon."

Rogue closed her eyes and silently counted to ten. She wasn't sure what she had done in a past life to deserve being dogged by the annoying Cajun, but it must have been unspeakable. Opening her eyes she saw said Cajun kissing her giggling roommate's hand gallantly. Better make it 20, Rogue. In German.

"Roguey, yeh alrigh'?" He asked, drawing her from her small meditation. He smirked as she opened her eyes to look at him. "If yeh don' watch where you're goin' yeh gonna run int' somethin'."

"Yeh mean like yeh?" she asked wryly. His devil-like eyes danced in mirth.

"In dat case, if yeh wanna run int' Remy, he'd be glad to catch yeh…"

"Shove off, Gambit," she snapped brushing past him. "Ah'm not in th' mood fo' yo' games. Ah had a lousy day."

"Remy's sorry 'bout that, cherie, but he needs t' talk t' yeh. He needs a favor." She stopped at that, looking back at the Acolyte and Kitty who had not moved as she walked away.

"Yeh need mah help? And you're actually askin' this time? Not gonna kidnap meh again?" Her words were laced with venom. He hid a wince at that. That had stung. So she still didn't forgive him for stealing her away and manipulating her. Not that he blamed her, but this would make it harder to make her cooperate. He really didn't want to force her hand in this. She had to come to him willingly.

"Please, chere, it would mean a lot t' Remy," he tried again, trying to make her see his desperation in his eyes but hiding it in his voice. No need to lose his cool in public. Her jade eyes narrowed and she turned her back on him, preparing to walk away.

"Ah'm sho' it would. But yeh can tell Remy that he can go and jump off a…" Her waving hand not holding her books was stopped by a gloved grip. She flinched at the contact and Remy immediately let go, sorry for making her uncomfortable. But he did not back up from her, blatantly invading her personal space still. She turned a furious glare in his direction, unforgiving of even the brief contact.

"Please, Rogue," he said quietly, for her ears only. "Ah need yo' help. If Ah could avoid it Ah would."

She held his gaze for what seemed like forever. His eyes burned into hers, revealing all that he would not say. But even as his desperation was all but tangible, it was his usage of the first person and her name that finally convinced her to listen. Rogue believed him when he said he had no other option but to come to her. No one could fake that look. Not even the self-titled Prince of Thieves.

She called over for Kitty, still drawn into his fiery gaze. "Kit, go on ahead home. Don't tell anyone else, ok? Ah'll see what this is all about."

Her roommate's flighty gaze at the two Southerners sharpened with alarm. "Rogue, are you sure? You're gonna…"

"Ah'm sure Kitty. If Ah'm not back before curfew, tell Logan, ok?"

Remy didn't offer any objections so the younger X-Girl nodded in reluctant agreement. She still looked a bit worried though. She was fine with the charming Cajun… that is, until he started talking business. He was dangerous and they all knew it. Magneto wouldn't have hired him if he wasn't. And Kitty knew better than to forget that.

Rogue saw her friend's nervousness and broke her stare with Remy to alleviate her fears. "Relax, Kit. Ah'm a big girl. Ah can handle an overgrown Swamp Rat. Ah jus' gotta see what he needs, alright?"

Remy's serious look softened to his usual carefree manner. "Trus' dis Swamp Rat, hein? He won' try anytin' t' harm ma chere. She only kick Remy's ass, oui? 'S alright, petite. Remy promises t' have her back 'fore ten."

Looking slightly more reassured, Kitty nodded again. "What do I tell them? I don't think Logan will, like, like it if I say you took off with an Acolyte."

Rogue looked back at said Acolyte who only shrugged. Sighing at his lack of help she thought. Wolverine could smell a lie a mile away, and Kitty wasn't known for her fibbing prowess. "Say… Ah met up with a friend from back South. Alright?"

The smaller girl sighed in relief. It was vague enough to actually pull off as truth. "Ok. So I'll, like, see you later then?"

The goth X-Girl sent a glare of warning to Remy. "You'd better, or Ah'll do more than kick his ass." He held up a hand, eyes wide with innocence she knew he didn't have.

Kitty ran off after that without ceremony, not eager enough for gossip to be caught in the Southern spat that was sure to arise as it did any time those two met. Once she was out of sight, Rogue turned back to Gambit, a skeptical look on her face.

"Ok, Swamp Rat, yeh got mah attention. Now what's this all about?"

Once more he didn't rise to her 'pet name' like he usually would. He looked down at the ground, oddly serious for once. It seemed that even when things were most dire he always had a joke or taunt ready on his lips. What could bring him to this level of sobriety now that there was no one around to impress?

" 'Xactly what Ah said, chere. Sometin' happened an' Ah need a favor."

Rogue shifted her books to the other hip, uncomfortable with this new Remy LeBeau. "Yeh already said that. Care t' elaborate? Like what th' job is for starts?"

" 'S complicated." His eyes looked into hers again as he tried to make his case. "Remy should explain it in private, oui?"

She visibly watched him pull himself together to be the cocky Cajun once more. This was the Remy she knew. She could deal with this one. "Lead th' way."

Without another word, the former Acolyte walked toward an abandoned warehouse in the nearby alley across the street. Rogue recognized it as the one where she was swiped from by Gambit the last time he needed a favor. Once inside, she was surprised to see both Colossus and Pyro. After Magneto's death, the X-Men had always assumed the two foreigners would have left for home.

"Is she in, Gambit?" the Russian asked quietly.

"Not until Ah hear th' details," Rogue answered for him.

Remy offered her a seat at a small card table. "Dis may take some time." Once she was seated, he began since neither of his teammates jumped to the occasion. "See, de _trios_ o' us ain' 'xactly from de best o' situations, chere. Seem dat every mutant has dere own sob story, non? Well, when Mags wanted his Acolyte team t' put togetha', he used our situations 'gainst us. Remy, Piotr, an' John… de Acolytes ain' nothin' but blackmailed recruits."

"We always wondered back at th' mansion," Rogue murmured, a piece of the puzzle fitting in. Now her once enemies didn't seem so horrible as before. "So now that ol' Buckethead is gone, ya'll are free now, righ'?"

"Wish it were that simple, love," Pyro broke in to the conversation. Rogue was unnerved to see the usually gleeful mutant so downtrodden. What had happened to these mutants that they were transformed into miserable shadows of themselves? "But when Mags snuffed it, the deals he struck to make us join were gone."

"Cut t' th' chase, Pyro," she demanded, impatient with all the beating around the bush. "What happened an' why do ya'll need meh?"

John sighed, looking like one who had to choose the lesser of two evils. Apparently Rogue needed to know more than he wanted to keep the shameful secret.

"Alright, Sheila, you win. My family back in Australia… well, they aren't exactly what you'd call model citizens."

"Well, what exactly would yeh call 'em?" the X-Girl asked wryly. All she could think of was running through the bayou with a crazy family of Assassins after her and the patriarch and heir to another crazy family of Thieves at her side. If Pyro mentioned one word of either occupation, she was walking out on the job this instant.

St. John sniffed proudly, daring her to laugh at him. "My family is in what you would call the business of a delicate pharmaceutical and security nature."

The goth gave him a deadpanned look. "So yo' family's a bunch o' drug dealers and thugs." She commented dryly. Remy stifled a snort at his teammate's highly affronted expression. Piotr merely rolled his eyes at the display.

"So what's th' job?" she asked for the final time. She did not have time for this.

"Well, Mags promised to keep my folks outta trouble if I went and worked for him," John continued, blatantly ignoring the insult to his family business. "And not just from police, love. They're the least of our worries. Nah, we got plenty o' other enemies who ain't exactly thrilled with how much business we get."

"And now that your protection is gone…" Rogue surmised. The Acolyte nodded.

"It means it's Allerdyce season back home." His face grew darker in remembrance. "A week ago, my big sis and her family were gonna come to the States to bring me home now that my contract is up. One of my family's enemies found out about it. My brother-in-law's body was found in the hotel, but my sister and nephew are missing."

" 'S a warnin'," Remy nodded, well-versed in the happenings of crime organization rivalries. "Dey don' wan' de fireball goin' home. Dey tryin' t' scare yeh away."

"Why go through all that trouble?" Rogue asked, more interested now than annoyed. "What did yeh do that makes 'em so focused on yeh? It had t' have been big fo' them t' be so scared o' yeh comin' back. They had t' go t' a lot o' trouble t' get t' yeh…"

The red-eyed Cajun smiled proudly. "Dat's _mon__ ange_. Remy knew he needed yo brain in dis."

She was vaguely aware of flushing under the blatant praise, but remained focused on the fire manipulator. "Well, love, guess you could say I got a coupla enemies of my own when I got my powers." He scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly. "I'm not exactly the favorite Allerdyce on the planet. The fact that I'm a dirty mutant that works in the family business only makes it worse."

Rogue fought the urge to bang her head against the table. Much as it would hurt, knocking herself into oblivion seemed very tempting right now. "Does everyone have a criminal family? Mah mama's a terrorist. Gambit's a thief. And you're a drug dealer. What does your family do, Colossus? Sell children?"

The Russian looked less than amused. "I do not find this situation humorous."

"That makes two o' us," she agreed. Taking a deep breath, the goth forced herself to relax, "Ok, Ah get th' problem. So what do ya'll want meh t' do 'bout it?"

"Well…" Remy had the grace to look embarrassed. "Since yeh did such a bon job findin' Remy's pere, he thought…"

"Ya'll wan' meh t' zap th' bad guys t' find fireball's family," Rogue surmised dryly. "Glad t' know mah powers are useful t' _somebody_."

"It ain't like dat, chere," Remy defended himself to the annoyed X-Girl. "We wouldn' even botha' yeh 'bout it if we didn' absolutely need yo' help."

"Please, Rogue," John pleaded desperately. "I know you don't have any good reason to help me, but my nephew… he's only 5, and…"

"Did Ah say no?" she snapped, shutting him up. She saw a glimmer of hope in his flame colored eyes. At length, she sighed. She didn't even need to think about the answer. Not when there was a child involved. And that damn Cajun with his puppy… well… demon puppy eyes. "Ah least ya'll asked instead o' kidnappin' meh."

The Acolytes visibly relaxed, and Remy grinned down at her in triumph. "Well, Remy jus' wanted t' sweep yeh off yo' feet again, chere, mais de boys here didn' t'ink yeh'd take kindly t' it. Dat an' de Wolvie would have Remy's ass on a platter, non?"

She couldn't help but smile a little at his obvious wariness of her mentor. "He told meh t' tell 'im th' moment yeh came near meh again. Ah'd say this qualifies."

"Aw, no yeh don' cherie. If de Wolvie guts Remy, who be aroun' t' protect yeh from dese two ruffians?" he motioned to the other Acolytes. Mere innocents compared to him. She snorted rather unladylike at his insinuations.

"Ah'm a big girl, Swamp Rat, Ah can take care o' mahself. B'sides, Ah'm mo' worried 'bout yeh than them."

He grinned cheekily. "As yeh should be, mon chere."

John rolled his eyes, thoroughly grossed out by the pair. "Ok, will you two lovebirds give it a rest so we can figure this thing out? The sheila's in. Now we need to know how and where we need to go from here."

"Oui, yeh need t' get a permission slip fo' dis extended field trip, chere. Remy don' t'ink dey'd appreciate yeh jus' takin' off in de middle o' de day." Remy agreed. "We can do our plannin' on de way."

"On th' way t' where?" she asked suspiciously.

"T' de bayou, o' course. Ain' no one better than de T'ieves Guild in getting' info."

"Jus' what Ah wanted," she grumbled. "Another' enocounte' wit' you' family."

"An' what's wrong wit' Remy's famille?" he asked, offended that she wasn't leaping with joy.

"Ya'll are crazy, Swamp Rat! Every las' one o' yeh!"

"Remy's offended, chere. An' he t'ought yeh liked his famille."

"Oh yeah, Ah liked 'em all righ'. Ah liked 'em like Ah like a red hot poker shoved…"

"Yeh int' dat sort o' t'ing, chere?"

Rogue turned to Piotr who was watching their tirade half amused, half exasperated. "Can Ah kill 'im?"

"Much as it would entertain me," he replied, "we will need his family's assistance to find a lead on John's sister and nephew."

She scowled at this. "Can Ah kill 'im afte'?"

"Remy t'ink it's time fo' yeh t' go home t' get ready, hein?" he interrupted nervously, ruby eyes darting between Piotr and Rogue.

"So how are you gonna convince them to let you go, love?" Pyro asked, still a bit worried she would not be able to help him. Gambit was right. Without her powers, Pyro would have little to no chance in finding Samantha and Andrew.

She shrugged. Not very reassuring. "Don' worry 'bout it. Ah'll meet ya'll here at midnight, ok?"

"That sounds fine," Colossus said before his two comrades could question the poor girl further. "We will see you then, Rogue."

Rogue nodded and gathered up her books to go. "See ya'll late'."

The Acolytes watched her go. "See, Pyro?" Piotr assured him. "We'll find your family soon. We have Rogue to add to our ranks, da?"

"An' Remy's famille sho' t' have some info fo' us," Remy added.

John sighed absently, but allowed a faint smile to light his lips. Not a cocky smirk or an insane grin as he lights one of his fires, but a real smile.

Hold on, Sam and Andrew. Help is on the way.

End Part One

A/N: Yeah, I know I have two other X-Men fics I just started, but this one is being real nice to me and is offering to practically write itself. The others will be added to in due time, doncha worry. Also, as I am a Chinese major, I would like to use my knowledge of this language into this story. I will be using Chinese throughout as our heroes get closer and closer to their goal and will let you know pronunciations and meanings as needed. For now, I'll give a Chinese 101. Zh's are pronounced as hard J's. X's are pronounced like really light S's. 'Si/Shi' and 'Ri' are pronounced 'Suh/Sure' and 'Rur'. All other words with an ending of I is pronounced with the I sounding like 'eeee'. Um… and ending of 'ai' or 'ei' is pronounced with endings of 'I' or the Canadian 'Eh'. That's all I can think of for now. So for today, Zai Zhen! (goodbye)


	2. Night Riders

Part Two: Wan Shang Qishou

(Night Riders)

By the time Rogue got home, dinner was already getting started. It was supposed to be her turn, but apparently a replacement had been found. She winced as she caught the scent from the kitchen.

And that replacement just _had_ to be Kitty, didn't it? Perhaps she should have gone to McDonalds with the boys or something.

She wandered into the kitchen to speak to her hopeless roommate. "Hey, Kit, Ah'm back."

Kitty looked up from her… well… something in a pan. Her gloves were covered by cheery sunflower hot mitts and her apron was covered in some strange goo. The girl's bright blue eyes widened in concern. "Oh, like, hey Rogue. Is… everything alright?" She knew better than to ask anything too specific lest anyone be listening who shouldn't. Not an unreasonable fear in this mansion. There was always someone listening.

"Fine," the goth shrugged flippantly as she put her books on the table. "Ah jus' need t' do a favor fo' that friend Ah was tellin' yeh 'bout. Need a hand with dinner?"

Her friend's gaze went back to her hopeless… thing. "Yeah, this Shepherd's Pie is so totally not doing what it's supposed to." So it was Shepherd's Pie, huh? Is that what they called it these days? Rogue sighed at Kitty's amusing attempts to cook and put her short hair back with some clips. As she worked with the smaller girl, Kitty's voice dropped. "So you're, like, gonna do what he needs? Just like that?"

"Yeah Ah am," Rogue replied, sounding just as surprised with her decision as Kitty felt. "Certain… circumstances make it sorta necessary fo' meh t' go."

"For how long? How are you going to get permission?" she demanded in a fierce whisper. "The professor is, like, not going to just let you go cause you said so. I mean, these are the _Acolytes_ we're talking about. They don't…"

Rogue hushed her before she let anything slip that she shouldn't. The kitchen was not exactly the best place for this conversation. "Ah know, Ah know. Ah've got it covered, 'kay Kit? Jus' trust meh. Ah'll explain t'night."

Dinner was as normal as usual. Thanks to Rogue's quick intervention, the Shepherd's Pie came out halfway edible. Most of the others didn't even notice, as most were growing teenage boys who would eat anything so long as it stayed still long enough. The girls of the house ate the food only after they saw the boys still alive and after they were assured Rogue had put forth the majority of the effort. A social butterfly the goth was not. But any food she touched was fit for the gods.

For her part, Rogue acted as normal as she could so no suspicions would arise. She was doubly grateful that the strong barriers put up against the psyches prevented any unwanted thoughts to leak to unsuspecting telepaths. Uncomfortable questions were the last things she needed right then. Her thoughts were chaotic enough without someone else's opinions on the matter. Especially when her psyches had no qualms about speaking up. And they had plenty of opinions on the matter of this mission with the Acolytes. If the Logan in her head was any indication, the larger Logan outside her head would tie her to the wall and spear the three young men with his claws before letting her go. There was certainly no love lost between the X-Mens' mentor and the opposing team.

She sighed softly, munching on some potatoes. This whole thing sounded like a disaster from the start. If this rival group were anything like the Assassins, and it sounded like they were, rescuing a boy and his mother would not be a walk in the park. And speaking of Assassins…

Rogue stabbed at her burnt meat angrily, earning some strange glances from around the table. She didn't care. Going back to the bayous of New Orleans was not one of the things she most wanted to do. She had a feeling Remy's rivals were not very happy with her at the moment. And if word got out that the two of them were in town, Rogue did not doubt Julian or his father Marius would be there to welcome them. She made a mental note to bring that up to the Swamp Rat that evening.

"Is everything alright?" Ororo's voice cut through her thoughts. At first she thought the elder mutant was talking to someone else but then she saw that everyone's eyes were now on her.

"Huh?" she blinked rather un-Rogue-like. Did she miss something?

"You were muttering about 'Swamp Rat,'" Logan explained, eyes narrowing. "That Cajun botherin' yeh again, Stripes?"

_"He told meh t' tell 'im th' moment yeh came near meh again. Ah'd say this qualifies."_

Rogue smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "Nah. Ah'm fine, Logan. Jus' talkin' t' mahself." She hated to lie to him; he was the father she never had and she trusted him beyond anyone else. Leaving in the middle of the night with said 'Cajun' without telling him was going to hurt him and his trust in her. But there were more important things at stake here. When all this was done with, Rogue hoped she would have the chance to explain and he would understand. She didn't think she could bear it if he lost all faith in her because she ran off for the sake of a child.

He stared at her as though he knew she was lying to his face. But choosing not to pursue the matter, he returned to his food grumpily. That cued the others to go back to their own meals. The professor said nothing at all and Rogue feared that he knew what she was planning. The rest of the meal was spent in uncomfortable silence for Rogue. The other students seemed not to notice at all as they chatted about their day. Kitty was torn between concern for her friend who was obviously miserable and keeping up a normal personality so the others didn't suspect anything.

When dinner was ended, she and Kitty escaped upstairs since the cooks didn't have to be involved in the clean-up process.

"Ok, we're alone now," Kitty said in the safety of their room. "Like, spill it. What does he want?"

Rogue sat at the edge of her bed motioning that her friend should do the same. "Not jus' him. Pyro an' Colossus are in on it too."

"The other Acolytes? Why?"

So Rogue explained it to her. How Pyro's family were involved in… pharmaceutical and security dealings and how a rival… business took offense to the young mutant's return home. She told of Samantha and Kyle and their young son Andrew. Of the incident at the hotel a day ago.

"Ok, so they need to, like, get his sister and nephew back. Like, what does that have to do with you?" Kitty asked still not seeing the connection. Rogue looked down as she spoke, not wanting to see her reaction.

"When Gambit kidnapped meh a coupla weeks ago, he used mah powers t' get information on where t' get to his fathe'. Ah was able t' know everythin' th' Assassins knew, from th' location t' how t' get passed the' booby traps. They figured Ah could do th' same sort o' thing this time too."

Kitty was silent for a moment, taken aback at the news. Whatever she was expecting her friend to say, this certainly wasn't it. "You're gonna use your powers to get information? I thought you, like, were against that. Y'know, hurting people and reading their minds."

"Kit, it's fo' a mama an' her baby," Rogue defended herself. If her best friend in the whole world wouldn't understand and support her, what hope did she have of the other X-Men understanding? "Not fo' th' Acolytes. If Ah can prevent a kid's death, Ah will. Pyro says these guys would hurt 'im if they thought it would help 'em."

"Well, yeah, I know but…"

"Ah ain' proud o' doin' it. But Ah have t' do it. If th' othe's knew, they'd flip. Especially Logan." No, she wasn't proud of hurting people on purpose. It killed her a little bit whenever she had to do it on the battlefield; reminded her just how dangerous she really was. But for little Andrew she would risk losing that much more of her soul. He was innocent. He didn't deserve any of this. Rogue realized that she was already getting emotionally involved in this, that she was seeing more of herself in this mission than was wise. And she wondered if that wasn't another reason why Remy wanted her in. If he knew that she would put her heart and soul into this because she didn't want any more children to suffer. Either way, she was involved now and couldn't back down.

Kitty saw the determination in her best friend's eyes. There would be no talking her out of it. And she wasn't sure it was something that should be discouraged. If Rogue said it had to be done, she would trust her to know. And besides, it was for the sake of a child. Even Kitty understood that one must sometimes use unconventional means for a good cause. "He'll have to find out eventually, Rogue. They're gonna notice if you're, like, not here."

"Yeh can tell 'em everythin'," Rogue smiled slightly. "It's impossible fo' yeh not to. But it has t' be afte' Ah'm long gone. So they can' stop meh."

"When are you leaving?"

"T'night. Afte' Logan is done wit' his rounds at 11:30. Yeh can spill everythin' in th' mornin' so they won' worry."

Kitty smirked and played with a crease in the comforter. "Like, that'll only make them worry more. Logan will try to track you down no matter what I say." Her smile grew wider. "You better protect your boyfriend 'cause Logan will rip him to pieces when he finds him."

The gothic mutant frowned and smacked her friend with a nearby pillow. "He ain' mah boyfriend an' if Logan runs 'im through wit' his own staff it'll be his fault. Besides, since Ah don' even know where we're goin' Ah doubt ya'll will figure it out. He won' be able t' track us. Ah'll make sure o' that."

"What about Cerebro?" Kitty pointed out. "The professor will be able to track you when you use your powers on those goons."

"Ah have a feelin' we'll be movin' as fast as ya'll can try t' find meh." Rogue's large emerald eyes pleaded with her. "Please, Kitty. Make them understand. Ah have t' do this. Jus' let meh do this an' Ah'll be back when it's all ove'. Don' let them track meh down." She had never begged her friend for anything, so she felt entitled to ask for this. Besides, it wasn't as though Rogue hadn't gotten in trouble plenty of times for covering for Kitty when she snuck out on dates with Lance.

The smaller girl sighed in defeat. Alright, she was convinced, but that didn't make her any less worried. This was dangerous and she was letting her friend go out on her own with three young men who had a less than sparkling history. "Alright, fine. I'll do my best to keep them from following you. But you'll be careful right? This doesn't sound easy or pleasant. And it's not like you'll be working with, like, the X-Men. These are the Acolytes we're talking about. Not exactly traveling with the Boy Scouts on a field trip."

"Ah'll be careful," Rogue promised, thankful that she had agreed to this insane mission. "But… call meh crazy, but Ah don' think they're all that bad. Ah mean, th' only reason they were workin' fo' Magneto was 'cause o' blackmail."

Eyebrows raised skeptically, Kitty shrugged. "I don't know, Rogue, they're still crooks. Look, can you promise to call us so we know you're ok?"

"Ah'll call tomorrow night, Ah promise," Rogue assured her. "Now, let meh get ready. Ah still wanna take a shower an' pack. It's already 10:00."

Kitty let her go, satisfied that if Rogue wasn't alright, she would at least be able to call and ask for help. While she waited for her roommate to get out of the shower, she gradually grew to accept the idea more and more. Even get a little excited about the possibility of adventure.

Meanwhile, Rogue stood in the shower, not getting any more eager to begin this journey. Someone had already died, proving that these as of yet unknown enemies had no qualms about killing those in their way. Or using children to achieve their end. She did not look forward to what she would have to do, what the Acolytes had hired her to do. People would be hurt, maybe even killed by her and she had promised to do it if it meant Pyro could see his family again.

'They deserve it,' Pyro's psyche insisted. 'They took my family an' killed Kyle. C'mon, love, tell me you wouldn't mind puttin' them into comas.'

'But then they'd be stuck in here in her mind,' Jean's psyche chastised him. 'Besides, she's an X-Man and X-Men don't actively seek to hurt others no matter how bad they are.'

'Oh give it a rest with your holier than thou crap,' Pietro shot back. 'Rogue, don't listen to her. You just do whatcha gotta do.'

"All of yeh jus' relax," Rogue soothed them out loud. They were getting restless and more vocal lately. This usually happened right before some tried to take control. She was in for a few days of good long migraines. Perhaps swiping the mansion's store of Excedrin wouldn't hurt.

'_Manifique_,' Remy's psyche teased lightly. 'Now de othe' Remy have t' deal wit' yeh all cranky, chere.'

"If yeh can help keep th' othe' psyches in control Ah won' be cranky," she retorted, turning off the water. Her 'voices' rarely helped her in controlling the others, but it was worth a shot. Running a towel through her hair, Rogue let out a low chuckle. She really was crazy, wasn't she? Talking aloud to the voices that existed only in her head.

'Fo' you, ma cherie, anythin',' Remy replied.

But the voices were so real. She snorted to herself. Of course they were real. Psychic imprints of those she touched, or so the professor said. She looked into the mirror, staring at wavy wet two-toned hair and make-up free face. Being uncovered like this, clad in only a towel, she felt very vulnerable. And it wasn't only the lack of clothing that caused this. The girl in the mirror looked young and fresh and touchable. Rogue couldn't be that. She couldn't be touchable.

As she straightened her hair, she could feel a light headache already beginning. Her worrying was getting the psyches agitated. Rogue put down the hair-straightener and her hands up to her temples. "No, no," she shushed them. "Ah gotta do this an' Ah can' have ya'll shoutin' like this. Calm down." The dull roar increased to a moderate roar.

'Shut up!' Logan snapped at them which only added to the noise.

'Like, let the girl think,' Kitty pleaded.

'Ja,' piped in Kurt. 'You're going to make her sick again.'

"Please shut up," Rogue pleaded, holding her ears as though to block them out. "All of yeh. Ah can' think."

'Like that's a big difference from normal,' snickered Jason, an FOH member she absorbed a little while ago.

'Hey, can it!' Blob defended Rogue.

Oh great, she sighed in defeat. Now they were fighting. It wouldn't be long now until one of them turned on her.

Putting up a stronger mental wall to block them out, Rogue finished getting dressed into some dark comfortable clothes she could move in. She returned to her room, not feeling any better than when she went into the shower. Opening the door, Rogue was greeted with the sight of her best friend flitting about the room like a chickadee, happily throwing various items around seemingly at random.

"Kit, what in th' world are yeh doin'?" she asked. Her friend just smiled cheerfully, any previous depression gone. Nothing could keep her down for long it seemed.

"Packing, duh. What does it look like?" was the response.

"Packin'? Why? Yeh ain' comin' wit' meh." No. Most definitely not. It was bad enough she got dragged into this little adventure without involving another X-Man.

"Of course I'm not," Kitty rolled her eyes as though it were obvious. She ducked into the closet. "Do I look, like, nuts to you?"

"Well, from this vantage point…" Rogue smirked.

"Oh hush. I'm packing for you, silly," came a disembodied voice from the closet.

A pink miniskirt was then seen flying into a large suitcase that could fit Jamie and his many clones in it. Rogue caught it before it made it in.

"Only yeh," she sighed, "could turn a life 'n death search int' a Caribbean Cruise."

Kitty looked wary. "Are you, like, insulting me or complimenting me?"

Rogue took all the things out of the suitcase and starting putting them back. "Kitty, all Ah need is one duffle bag with a change of clothes, mah uniform, an' some othe' necessities. _Not_ a whole wardrobe. We're gonna be travelin' fast 'n light." She eyed a tiny pink number slightly unnerved. "An' Ah certainly don' need t' borrow yo' clothes t' save a little boy."

"Like, I know what 'fast and light' means," Kitty defended herself staunchly. "Why do you think I, like, only packed one suitcase rather than two?"

Her friend gave her a wry look and stuffed her dufflebag with a few things she needed, remembering to grab some heavy-duty Excedrin. By the time she was done, it was nearly 11:30. The crescent moon was directly overhead, lending a bit of light to the grounds below. The girls watched the silent shade that was Wolverine stalk below their window as he made his final pass.

Kitty watched her best friend make her final preparations as Logan headed inside for a drink before heading to bed. Suddenly all the excitement that had come at the thought of adventure fled her. Rogue was strapping the bag to her back, preparing to drop to the ground. "Need a hand?" she asked softly. She couldn't explain it, but she was afraid that something would happen to the power stealing girl. And she was powerless to do anything about it.

"Ah don' wan' yeh t' get caught too," Rogue shook her head, not looking at her as she finished clipping the bag.

Kitty stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "Then you can borrow my power. Please, Rogue." The lack of her Valley Girl voice and the close proximity alerted the goth to her friend's distress. Her determined emerald eyes softened slightly.

"Alrigh', Kit. If yo' sure." She raised a bare hand to her friend's face. Kitty nodded, willing to do anything to help Rogue in any way she could.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Just let me get into bed, ok? I don't want to pass out on the floor."

Once Kitty was tucked into bed, clutching her dragon Lockheed, Rogue sat down next to her. Kitty looked up at her, suddenly looking like a small child. "Are you sure you'll be ok? And you'll call tomorrow and if you need help?"

"Ah promise all that, alrigh'?" Rogue replied, trying to ease her fears. "Goodnigh'."

"Goodnight," Kitty sighed as she was drained by her friend's powers. She quickly sank into a deep sleep, sure to be groggy for most of the next day.

Rogue smiled at her for a moment before phasing through the building to the bottom floor and out the door.

Sneaking through the grounds, Rogue was doubly glad for the faint light of the moon. It wasn't so bright that she would be obvious to anyone looking out their window. But it also meant she wouldn't have to use her flashlight and alert anyone, especially Logan, to her activities. Phasing through the defense weapons, she shorted them out effectively. It wouldn't do for an autogun to ruin her escape. Mentally she made a note to bake something nice for Hank who would have to fix them in the morning.

Using the last bit of Kitty's powers to phase through the front gate, Rogue walked to freedom and the unknown.

-

The only sound in the building was the steady steps of an Australian boy as he paced. The faint stream of moonlight coming in through the windows was the only light for the group of three who did not dare add their own.

"Where is she?" Pyro demanded, fiddling with his lighter nervously.

"Calm down, mon ami," Gambit sighed, taking a drag from his cigarette. The end glowed slightly as he did so, reflecting in his ruby eyes. "Yeh'll give yo'self a stroke. Den where'd we be?"

"But it's already midnight," John continued, not hearing his friend. "What if she was caught? What if her little pet badger knows? He'll kill us, mates! He'll…"

The two promptly ignored him, used to their friend's nervous ranting. Not that there was anything they could do about it anyway.

"Badger?" Piotr asked, not quite following.

"Wolverine," the Cajun translated, having called the X-Men mentor quite a number of names of his own. He paused for a moment in thought, eyes seeming to see through the very walls. Then a smirk graced his lips as he put out his cigarette. _Elle est ici_."

Pyro stopped his worrying long enough to raise an eyebrow. "Say what, mate?"

Rolling his eyes, Remy stood up from his seat at the table. "De Rogue is here. Jus' round de corne'."

"I imagine the girl would not appreciate you using your empathy to locate her," Piotr grumbled in warning. He knew what the girl was capable of when angry. And they did not need two stubborn Southerners fighting with each other the whole time. Especially since Remy seemed so adept at pushing all her buttons.

"What de fille don' know don' hurt Gambit, non?" he shrugged.

At the knock on the door, Piotr went over to let their fourth team member in. "Sorry Ah'm late," she apologized as she walked in. "Ah got held up."

"No one saw you leave?" Piotr asked. Being followed by the whole worried X-Men team was not very appealing and would hurt whatever chance John had of seeing his family again.

"No." They didn't need to know that Kitty knew what was going on.

"Bon," Remy nodded in approval. Then he switched into complete business mode. This was his element. One which he took very seriously. "'Fore we leave, we need some groun' rules, hein?" He waited until he had the group's attention. "We don' know who dese people are. Dey could be anyone anywhere. An' we don' know wha' dey know. Dey could be on t' us o' non. So till we do know, ya'll can' make any calls. No talking t' people eithe'. If asked, Remy an' Rogue be givin' deux amis a tour o' de country. Our movements have t' be as secret as possible. _Comprenez-vous_?"

They nodded their understanding, trusting him in how to do such things.

"So what are we doin' t'night?" Rogue asked. "Yeh said we were goin' t' see yo' family?"

"Oui," he smiled. His eagerness to return home was not lost on the group. "If de Lebeau famille can' find a lead, den it don' exist. We goin' t' ride t'rough de night an' find a place t' sleep in de mornin'."

"Ya'll got a car?" she asked incredulously. If the pay was that good as an Acolyte, then she didn't think she'd mind a little blackmail to join.

"Bikes," John answered as they headed outside. He motioned to three very nice motorcycles waiting near the street. "Standard villain issue. May not look like much, Sheila, but they're quick 'n quiet."

Oh great, she thought. Riding all night on a bike was not going to be very comfortable at all. And she got to spend it wrapped around one of the gentlemen before her. "So who will Ah be ridin' with?" she asked as final preparations were being made.

"Yo' lucky 'nough t' be ridin' wit' Remy, cherie," Gambit replied, scarlet eyes dancing with humor. He knew very well that she was less than thrilled with the idea. But he was curious to see just how much inconvenience the young X-Girl could handle in one night.

"An' how do yeh figure that?" she inquired wryly. There was no doubt in her mind that he had planned it this way. It was something the shady Cajun was likely to do. She reluctantly caught the helmet he tossed her.

"Petey can' fit more 'n 'imself on de bike an' Fireball drives worse dan yo' petite Shadowcat." He watched Rogue blanch at the thought. Kitty's complete lack of driving ability was as notorious as her skills in the kitchen. For someone to be even worse than that… he could see Rogue immediately accept the less than perfect situation. Chuckling to himself he mounted his sleek bike, waiting for her to join him.

Rogue decided that it was better to be alive to smack the Swamp Rat than cement pizza because of an Aussie lunatic. Eyeing the offended Pyro like one might a rabid tiger, she strapped her bag onto the back of the bike. She climbed on, reluctantly forced to hold onto her companion's waist lest she fall off during the ride.

Remy smiled as her warmth covered his back. He certainly didn't mind the driving arrangements one bit. Besides, it was probably the only way for him to be held onto by her without getting smacked. "Don' worry if yeh need t' fall asleep," he assured her as his empathy picked up on her weariness. "Remy won' let yeh fall."

The girl said nothing, choosing to keep her pride rather than admit her weakness. She knew that before the night was out, she would probably take his offer to use him as a pillow. He chuckled again at the heard-headed fille and revved his engine. Within a minute, the four were off, leaving Bayville far behind in the dark night.

**End Part 2**

**Pardon my French!**

Manifique – Magnificent

elle est ici – She's here

Comprenez-vous? – Understand?

**A/N**: Well now we'll get rolling after this chapter. Coming up we'll see what measures Remy expects his teammates to go to for the sake of secrecy. And we all know how much Rogue likes being told what to do. Tempers will flare.

**Trivia Time!**

I've added some trivia in other stories, now it's your turn! Finish this quote: One's never alone with a …..

**Review Time!**

chica de los ojos café – thanks for the review! I figured that this at least hasn't been done before. I'm glad you like it. You'll just have to keep reading to find out ; )

sleepy26 – Thanks! Here ya go!

Fire Spirit VS Water Spirit – Lol, no no ryro. But that doesn't mean I can't have fun with it. Not a soap opera love triangle, cause those are annoying, but I'll put in some things for you ; )

Ishandahalf – And who says you can't teach a boy new tricks: )

Roguechere – Thanks! I hoped it would be original, I can't think of anyone doing this before. Just watch and one turns up now!

Sangofanatic – Breaking curfew is oh so much fun isn't it? And with three Acolytes… I'd rather not go home at all, neh?

Nuwie – Hey, you're that weird Swiss who keeps bugging me, aren't you? Lol Hey Nuwie! hugs I'm sorry with the accents and slang, I didn't even think how it would be hell for you, what a good friend I am. Just take it slow and hear in your mind as it's typed. That's not very helpful, I know. And just think, my mom is Southern, so I actually talk a lesser version of this : ) Yeah, about the French accents, there is a way to do it on my computer, but it involves a lot of work and frankly, I'm a lazy bum. You have it on your keyboard? Lucky! I have to do crazy commands to do it. So… just imagine they're there, k? Remy and Rogue are fun to write dialogue for. They are oh so much fun! In the next chapter it'll be a bit less fun and a bit more dark. He's not a fluffy little bunny all the time unfortunately. Puppy eyes : ) Yeah, there's a hint of the dear pup in Remy methinks. I need to brush up on my Chinese anyway and I know for a fact, no one else has done it in there fics so I'll just pretend that makes me original.

DaughterofDeath – love your sn! Will do!

Digi-fan girl – Thanks and here ya go!


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